Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 June 2019 be agreed as a correct record.

It was confirmed that all items were marked Part I and would be considered in public.

The Operational Finance Manager and Financial Planning Accountant were in attendance at the meeting to introduce the 2020/21 Budget Planning Report for Services within the remit of the Committee.

The Committee was informed that budget projections remain in line with the February 2019 position, with a budget gap of £28.4m, which is consistent with previous years and similar to what other Local Authorities are facing.

Members asked whether a rising population was leading to a higher demand on any specific services, but were informed that this was not the case and that service pressures were being driven by population growth in all age groups.

RESOLVED: That the 2020/2021 Budget Planning Report for Services within the remit of Corporate Services, Commerce and Communities Policy Overview Committee was noted.

Richard Upton and Becki Selby were in attendance at the meeting to represent U+I and give evidence to the Committee.

Mr Upton noted that U+I work across 46 local authorities in England and Northern Ireland, with projects ranging in budgets from £60m to £500k, and their aim is regeneration and transformation through buildings, but the key to success was the local community.

U+I were leading on the regeneration of The Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, which was a valuable site in the Borough in an area that required regeneration. The Committee heard that U+I aimed to leverage economic growth through partnerships, particularly through mixed-use applications, and The Old Vinyl Factory was an example of this.

Mr Upton stated that there was a lot of value in understanding what a local authority would like in its town or borough, and early engagement with a council was vital to regeneration schemes. U+I had a number of meetings with the Council, local businesses and neighbouring residents to understand the comparative views of this diverse group, and Members heard that this often leads to better schemes that can suit many people.

The Committee noted the Council were keen to draw employment back to the Hayes area, and The Old Vinyl Factory Site, with good railways links and the emerging Crossrail project, offered an opportunity for this. Mr Upton stated that this project looked to stimulate the local economy and aimed to return close to the 4,000 jobs in the area that were lost.

Members were informed that U+I hoped the build 600 homes on The Old Vinyl Factory site, but unless the site became a great place to live and work with an appealing design, developments can easily be left with a number of un-let buildings. Mr Upton confirmed that inspiration at an old music pressing factory was easy, but the development still required amenity space to attract tenants, and the Shipping Building is now fully let with 1,000 people working on the site.

The development was also home to a successful residential scheme, and although it is a dense site with very mixed uses, this situation has been managed well through relationships. There are currently 1,500 jobs on site, and this may rise to closer to 4,000 once the Powerhouse is completed, while amenities such as a cinema, expected in 2021, will attract people to the area and please residents.

Councillors heard that the Central Research Laboratory (CRL), a co-working space and Hardware Accelerator, was the tenant of the ground floor of the Shipping Building. The CRL worked alongside Brunel University graduates who wished to turn their ideas into a new business. A mentoring programme will be included in a purpose built site, and the output of the CRL has been measured at over 50 times the economic benefit of a standard office over five years, as it cultivates innovation to create jobs.

Mr Upton commented that Hillingdon proved a good opportunity for such a regeneration project, with a good record of growing  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

Members noted that the Committee’s review into Community Safety and New Policing Structures in Hillingdon would be presented to Cabinet at the meeting on 25 July 2019.

RESOLVED: That the forward plan be noted.

Members noted that the site visit to the CRL, as part of the review into Local Commerce, Employment, Skills and Job Creation, would take place in September. As such, all items scheduled for September would be moved to the October meeting, with further reports moved forward one meeting.

RESOLVED: That the Work Programme be noted, subject to the changes agreed.